Chronicles of the Old Republic - Season 1
by Archerlord
Summary: The Galactic War wages across the galaxy between the Galactic Republic and Sith Empire. During that time, heroes on both sides of the war begin to emerge. These are the stories of Jedi, Sith, soldiers, and freelancers alike, as they face each other in this grand conflict. In the end, only one galactic power will remain.
1. Chapter I

_The Galactic War resumes throughout the galaxy. The Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic resume open hostility against one another, ready to finally put an end to war once and for all. All of the assets that each faction can muster are brought in in an effort to turn the tide of war._

 _To aid the Republic in the war, Colroc Jericho, the famed Voidhound, has united the privateers employed by the Republic into their own unit. The privateers continue to enjoy the benefits of their side ventures while under the protection of the Republic, as long as they oppose the Empire._

 _Over the past weeks, many privateers had disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Finally, when all hope seemed lost, a lead is revealed, and the leaders of the privateers meet to discuss how to move next._

* * *

Port Nowhere had quickly became a second home to Colroc (the first being his ship, the Whirlwind, of course). Whenever he wasn't out on another smuggling job, he was at the spaceport. It definitely wasn't a bad place to call home. From the (discounted) drinks he could get at the station's catina and playing pazaak with the other privateers, Port Nowhere had its benefits.

What Colroc didn't like were the meetings with the leaders of the privateers. Although he was cited as the new leader of the privateers, he was a figurehead. Not that he minded his role as the face of the privateers, which certainly opened new doors and opportunities. The real brains behind the organization were the small group of leaders that stuck out. Out of the group, Risha and Rogun did most of the leading behind the scenes, with the others offering minimal contributions.

Colroc left behind most of his crew to the catina and took an elevator up to the floor that held the meeting room. He was already running late, not that he was in any rush to meet with some of the most deadly captains around. Although the Voidhound had reached a business deal with Rogun, the pirates that swore loyalty to him after the Voidwolf's defeat were ones to keep an eye on. Carac and Lunatta were merciless. Colroc was slightly thankful that Trizz'mal died in the opening shots of the Battle of Corellia, and was quickly replaced with someone less dangerous.

When the elevator door opened, Colroc started to whistle on his way to the meeting room. Once he stepped inside, all of the gathered captains gave him an annoyed look for his tardiness. He paid them no heed and took his seat at the head of the table. Everyone was in attendance: Risha, Rogun, Carac, Lunatta, and Leg'navak, a slightly overweight twi'lek that replaced Trizz'mal after his death.

"Good to see you all gathered here today," Colroc greeted.

"And we should start scheduling these meetings earlier than we intend to meet," Risha smirked with her comment. "Then you may be on time."

"Make it happen," Colroc winked, and turned to the rest of the captains. "First item of business is out of the way. What's next."

"We have a lead on our missing people," Rogun announced.

"Your missing people," Carac corrected. "All of my forces are accounted for."

Slowly, the Twi'lek of the group stood up. Out of the pirates and scoundrels of the group, Colroc was the least worried about Leg'navak (or, as he liked to call him, Leg). Trizz'mal's forces took the brunt of the damage during the Battle of Corellia, and when the dust cleared, Leg was the highest ranking officer of that unit. He was a nervous and easy-to-scare man. He had been indentured to serve on a pirate crew after being kidnapped. Despite not being a true pirate, he kept his forces in line well enough despite his nature.

"Well, Captain Jericho, sir," Leg coughed into his arm. "I, uh, did some research. All of the missing privateers had something in common: their ships were last docked at the Coruscant Spaceport."

"Not much of a lead, but it's better than nothing," Colroc noted. "I'll take Corso down with me to Coruscant. We'll investigate the spaceport, maybe check around some of the catinas, the usual works."

"Is this really necessary?" Lunatta asked, rolling her eyes. "The missing men are dead by now. We're better off employing replacements."

"Agreed." Carac nodded. "They knew what they signed up for."

"Overruled," Colroc declared. "We look out for our own."

"It's also bad business if it turns out someone is actively sabotaging our efforts and we do nothing about it," Rogun added.

"Still, I have some doubts about our investigators," Risha turned to Colroc, skeptical. "Maybe I should go with you and Corso, to make sure you two are doing your job."

"I see that you already miss being part of my crew," Colroc grinned. "Tell you what. Your old first mate spot is full but I could use an extra pair of hands if you really miss the adventuring life."

The idea to unite the privateers under leadership that understood them was Colroc's idea, but it was Risha who executed that idea. In doing so, she did sacrifice her role as first mate of the Whirlwind to better serve as an administrator, and to dedicate more time to retaking Dubrillion. Her role as first mate and the Whirlwind's mechanic had been taken over by Corso and Bowdaar, respectively. Still, the band of misfits did miss their resident queen.

"A tempting offer, but on second thought, I think I might take your spot as the head when you turn up empty handed," Risha answered, with the captains (excluding Leg), snickering.

"Fair enough," Colroc nodded.

"Uh, Captain Jericho, sir, but I think I could come with you," Leg offered. "It's my lead, you know."

"If you want, but if we're being honest, I expect this to be the work of a gang," Colroc stood up and smirked. "Go grab your scatter gun. We'll bust down some Black Sun warehouses to get to the truth."

"I'll, well, I'll pass," Leg bowed his head in shame.

"Roger that, Leg. Let's get back to work everyone," Colroc announced, then activated his communicator. "Corso, prep the Whirlwind. We're off to Coruscant."

* * *

With the meeting over, Leg returned to his own ship, which was docked within Port Nowhere. It was a transport ship with no weapons. Leg detested violence and wanted a quick end to the Galactic War. Still, he was worried that there was a price to pay for that quick end.

Leg sat in the bridge by himself, scatter gun in hand. He nervously watched the ship scanners, which reported that a ship jumped into hyperspace. He sighed in relief at first but realized that the hard part was next. He gulped down his fears and activated the holocommunicator by his chair. It pinged for a few moments before activating.

A holographic image of a slim man garbed in armor like that of a Mandalorian was projected.

"Rosu," Leg greeted nervously, scratching the scalp of his head. "Uh, just calling in to tell you that I did my part of the plan."

"Jericho's on his way to Coruscant then?" Rosu asked and was answered by a nod from Leg. "Good. I'll move in to finish phase one."

"And, well, you'll tell your employer that I did my part, right?" Leg brought up.

"You can tell him yourself when you complete phase two," Rosu told him, voice irritated and arms crossed.

"But what if you don't complete your part of the plan?" Leg quickly realized his mistake. "Not that I think you will, but, uh, well, I'm worried is all."

"Don't be: I always get my mark," Rosu answered with confidence. "Good luck on your end."

Leg opened his mouth to ask another question, but before he could, the projection of Rosu flickered away. He sighed and collapsed down on his seat, groaning. He was putting everything on the line for the job he had. Plus, his secret allies scared him more than Carac or Rogun do. Yet, he assured his own doubts. As long as he held his end of the plan, he would be safe, and the war would come closer to its end.

* * *

For the most part, Corso followed Colroc's lead on Coruscant. He had been learning tricks from his captain ever since they started their partnership on Ord Mantell. Still, the tricks of being a good leader was something he was still picking up on. The promotion to first mate was new to him, and although he was giving it his all, he still had a lot to learn.

The search for the missing privateers was a slow investigation. Colroc first started at the Coruscant Starport and was able to get security footage on the hangers the privateers previously used. Nothing came up. And by nothing, it was clear that someone had sabotaged the camera feed. It showed the ship docking, nothing, then it departed.

"What do you think this means, Captain?" Corso asked, following Colroc out of the spaceport.

"Someone's definitely sabotaging us, and whoever they are, they're professionals," Colroc answered. "Definitely wasn't one of the gangs. They're sloppy. Which means we should check some of the less reputable cantinas for rumors. Maybe they'll know what happened to our people."

Corso saw the logic with that and followed Colroc to the airspeeder depot. The captain drove off with his first mate sitting beside him in the passenger seat. They left behind the gleaming skylights of Coruscant for the darkness of the planet's underworld, occupied by criminal gangs. Thankfully, after the defeat of the Voidhound, Colroc's reputation preceded him. No one would dare try picking a fight with him.

The duo checked out whatever cantina they could find. The rumors were very far fetched, but slowly, Colroc started to pick out small details, the kernels of truth. Someone was targeting the privateers. The two returned to a platform that overlooked an edge that overlooked the lanes of speeder traffic and fell to the end of the planet. Their yellow airspeeder was parked there, although they had no other destination in mind.

"Is that it, Captain?" Corso crossed his arms, slightly annoyed that their search was coming to an end. "We still don't know who we're dealing with."

"We don't," Colroc sighed. "But we do know there's a threat to the privateers. It's strange that out of all the places, they get targeted at Coruscant. It's only the more patriotic privateers that come here. So, we have them steer away from Coruscant."

"This doesn't feel right at all," Corso looked down at the ground. "We should be finding out who's responsible."

"And we will," Colroc placed a hand on Corso's shoulder. "Just not now. I wished I kept better track of contacts in Coruscant. Not sure if we can trust any of Darmas' contacts. I'm sure Rogun might have-"

Corso heard blaster fire, and before he could react, Colroc threw them both to the ground. The two scampered to take cover behind their speeder, the blaster fire following after them. Their assailant missed when the two smugglers took cover. Corso pulled out Torchy and Colroc unholstered his two blaster pistols.

Corso looked over the speeder briefly to get a look at their attacker. He ducked down when blaster fire struck the edge of the speeder. Still, he had his look. They were attacked by an armored man wielding two blaster pistols, just like Colroc. He had a slim build and his armor was dyed to be primarily red with hints of gray on the edge. The design resembled the armor of a Mandalorian, just like Akaavi.

"Looks like we're getting our chance to take down the man behind the disappearances," Corso grinned. "Ready when you are."

"On the count of three," Colroc nodded. "One, two…"

The two popped up from their cover. The two had formed a common strategy from years of working together. Colroc unleashed a steady barrage, forcing their armored attacker to seek cover behind a group of crates. Corso took careful aim and fired a few shots with Torchy. The blaster fire struck their attacker yet his armor endured the blow.

Now behind cover, their ambusher unleashed his own barrage upon the speeder. Colroc and Corso both ducked down to cover and took time to reload their weapons.

"Did you get a shot on him?" Colroc asked.

"The shot just blasted off his armor like nothing," Corso grunted. "This guy's tough."

"Time to call in the calvary," Colroc reached for his communicator. "Corsec, there is a shootout at- hello? Anyone there?"

"Something wrong?"

"My communicator not working."

"Maybe we're being jammed?"

Colroc thought for a moment, then gasped. "Corso, we're not dealing with a kidnapping. This is an assassination."

"An assassination," Corso repeated, trying to take in the news. "This isn't good."

"And this is the downside of being famous," Colroc sighed. "Corso, get the speeder on. I'll crawl in."

Corso nodded and clutched Torchy with both hands. With his battle armor, he would be able to endure the attack, although his head was exposed. Corso ducked out from his cover and took potshots towards the crates the attacker hid behind. The attacker returned fire and their respective shots bounced off of each other's armor.

Corso quickly hopped in the driver's seat of the speeder and activated it. Colroc quickly threw himself over into the passenger side and Corso sped away in the speeder. The two smugglers let out a loud cheer as they escaped from the ambush. They had an idea on who was behind the attacks on the privateers now as well. They just needed to get out of the jammer's field.

A blaster bolt fired into the dashboard of the speeder.

Corso and Colroc both looked over their shoulders. The armored attacker pursued, chasing after them with rocket boots.

"What is up with this guy?" Colroc snapped. "First he has some of the best armor, and now, rocket boots?!"

"Captain!" Corso called out.

"Right, take a left up ahead," Colroc commanded and stood up from his seat. "No traffic, so no risk of civilian casualties. Just keep the speeder steady."

Corso made a turn to the left, between two buildings. Their attacker pursued, opening fire. Colroc returned fire, both opponents firing twin blaster pistols. In the end, the smuggler had the upper hand over his foe. Their attacker was a good shot, but he had to worry about shooting, flying, and avoiding blaster fire. Corso sped up the speeder, intending to leave their foe behind.

With just rocket boots, the ambusher had no hopes of keeping up. Yet, he had time for one final barrage. This time, he focused fire upon the engines of the speeder. There was an explosion and the speeder leaned towards the right.

Colroc, who was standing up in his seat, was thrown from the speeder and started to fall with a scream.

"Colroc!" Corso yelled out.

Corso's attention was divided. He tried to keep the speeder steady, yet his attention was focused solely on the falling captain. Then, the attacker zoomed past him, towards Colroc. Corso cursed and pulled out Torchy. With careful aim, he took the shot. The blaster bolt shot into one of the attacker's rocket boots, and he lost control. He flew straight into a building, breaking through the glass windows.

Corso let out a cheer. But now, he lost sight of the captain. Before he had a chance to look, his speeder veered off into the side of the building. There was the crashing of glass and something hit the back of his head. Everything went dark afterwards.

* * *

When the dust from the battle cleared up, Corso was taken away to receive medical attention at the nearest hospital. His consciousness flickered in and out during the treatments. He wasn't sure how much time went by when he finally recovered. After the treatments were over, he was left alone in a room with a bed and a medical droid to look after him.

Corso immediately questioned the droid on what happened with Colroc and their attacker. The droid only responded with programming, telling him to rest, and that he had a visitor. Although frustrated, he remained patient. He hoped it was someone else from the crew, ready with answers.

Instead, a man Corso had never seen before entered the room. He was a young man with blonde hair and in a blue and white uniform. Corso recognized the man belong to the Republic Strategic Information Service. After the speeder accident, he expected that some authority would want to question him on what happened. He wasn't expecting someone with the SIS to be in charge of that.

"Gilliam Keasten, SIS," the agent introduced himself. "You will be cleared to leave and return to your life after you answer a few questions."

"Right," Corso nodded and sat up on his bed. "What do you need to know?"

"Do you have a clear memory on what happened?"

"I do. I didn't hit my head that hard."

"I just wanted to make sure. Start from the beginning, and try not to leave any details out."

Gilliam pulled out his datapad, ready to record any information Corso revealed. At first, he wasn't sure how much to reveal to the agent, especially regarding the disappearances and security issues of the privateers. He was a good man, even if he didn't follow the law exactly. Still, if anyone had any answers on where Colroc and his attacker were, it was Gilliam.

Corso revealed everything he knew. Starting from the disappearances of the privateers to the mission Colroc led for the investigation. He spoke in detail about the battle and included as many details as he could about his attacker. Gilliam asked questions for clarification from time to time, but otherwise, remained silent and recorded the story.

"Thank you, Corso Riggs," Gilliam put his datapad away. "That's all I needed to hear. You're free to leave now. The staff has your possessions, including your… collection of guns."

"Hold on just a moment," Corso stood up when he saw Gilliam turn to the door. "You need to tell me where Captain Jericho is. And what steps are you taking to deal with the man who attacked us? I'm not being left in the dark."

Gilliam sighed, then turned back to Corso. "Your unidentified attacker escaped. We searched where he crashed and didn't find him. Unlike you, he didn't pass out when he crashed."

"And the Captain?"

Gilliam hesitated, then looked up at Corso. "Captain Colroc Jericho is dead."

Corso looked stunned for a moment. "You're kidding."

"I'm not. I hate to be blunt, but it will be the only way you'll understand that he is dead. Jericho fell from the speeder with nothing to catch him or slow down his fall. He died on impact. It… it wasn't pretty. I am sorry for your loss."

Corso lost a lot of people he knew and cared for during his life. He lost family and friends alike due to the conflict around him. At first, he refused to believe that Colroc was truly dead. Ever since leaving Ord Mantell, the two encountered deadly foes, pirates and Imperials alike. It just seemed unreal for the famed Voidhound to fall victim to a long fall.

Corso fell back down on the bed and Gilliam left. As much as he hated to admit it, there was no denying the truth. Captain Colroc Jericho, the man who discovered Nok Drayen's treasure and defeated the Voidwolf, was dead. Corso placed his hands over his head, realizing how much he was going to miss his best friend.

* * *

The following days went by quickly for Corso. He had to be the bearer of bad news when he piloted the Whirlwind to Port Nowhere without Colroc. The news was devastating for everyone. No one one cried over his death but there was mourning for his loss. When the news was first shared, drinks at the cantina were free, in memory of the Voidhound. A lot of smugglers and pirates had a little too much to drink then, Corso included.

The next day, it was back to the normal routine.

There were some changes that came with Colroc gone. His role as the leader of the privateers fell to Risha, who scheduled more meetings with the other captains on how to proceed. There were talks of looking for a new officer to fill in the empty seat at the meetings. Corso heard rumors that Leg had a candidate in mind and was receiving backing from the pirates. He didn't know the exact details.

Corso was now the captain of the Whirlwind and its remaining crew. He made his intentions clear at first that they were going to find the man who killed Colroc and make him pay. Akaavi and Bowdaar both agreed to the mission and the only complaint Guss had was how dangerous it would be. Corso thought about returning to Coruscant and picking up on the SIS's trail on the attacker.

The day they were supposed to leave, Corso caught sight of Gilliam in Port Nowhere.

Corso watched him take the elevator up to the captain's meeting room. He knew that there wasn't a meeting with the captains. Asides from Risha, all of the officers were gathered in the cantina. Gilliam must have arranged for a one on one meeting with the new leader of the privateers. Corso waited by the elevator, figuring that if anyone could give him more hints on the mystery.

When the elevator opened, Gilliam and Risha stepped out from it.

"Gilliam," Corso greeted. "Did you find out anything about the man that killed Colroc?"

"That's classified," Gilliam said and walked past Corso.

"Classified?" Corso turned around. "You can't just leave like that, you know."

"That's enough, Corso," Risha ordered and walked by his side. "Look, you remember about how you wanted to go back to Coruscant?"

"Of course I do."

"I'm calling that off. That's an SIS investigation now."

"Oh come on!" Corso exclaimed. "Are we just going to stand by and do nothing about Colroc?"

Conflicted, Risha looked away from Corso. "Gilliam made a very compelling case to remain out of this. I miss him just like you do, but right now, we're staying out of it. We're not losing anyone else. I won't let anyone else from our crew die."

Corso sighed. "Risha…"

"Just go and take it easy for now," Risha told him and walked off. "There's a lot going on right now."

"Like what?" Corso called out. "What did he tell you to hold off on getting the man that took down Colroc?"

Risha didn't answer him and walked out of fight. Corso grew more frustrated from being left out of the investigation. There definitely was something going on if the SIS was trying to keep involvement of others down. He thought about going over the command and begin with his search anyways. However, he reminded himself that he had to be smarter. Colroc always had a plan and didn't rush blindly into conflict. He needed a plan.

Corso returned to the cantina on Port Nowhere to meet up with the rest of the crew. There were a couple of privateers off duty. Akaavi and Guss sat at their own table and Corso was surprised to see Rogun was with them, casually sipping from a drink. The crime lord didn't usually associate himself with others. Guss stood up from his chair and waved at Corso. He smiled and took a seat with the group.

"Corso, good to see you," Guss greeted. "Say, did I tell you what a wonderful job you're doing and I greatly appreciate that you still let me stay on board like Colroc did? I just wanted to-"

"Risha is taking us off the job," Corso interrupted. "Said that the SIS had matters under control."

"And are we really going to leave this to the SIS?" Akaavi asked.

"So, that's what the meeting was about," Rogun commented. "I tried to involve myself but the agent sent me off. Told me that the information he had was on a need-to-know basis. If they're not going to listen to me, I'll give what I know to the people who will."

"You know something to help us?" Corso asked, intrigued.

"Rosu Phorgi is the man you're after," Rogun revealed. "After I heard the description of who attacked you, I did a little bit of digging with some contacts."

"Well, don't keep us in suspense," Corso leaned in. "Tell us more!"

"Rosu's a Cathar bounty hunter. One of the more deadly ones at that. He was originally a boxer in the slums until he went against a Hutt trying to rig a match. The Hutt tried to get revenge but Rosu took up a blaster and shot his attackers dead. Just so happened that a lot of his attackers had bounties on their heads. He saw profit and went with it."

"What about his employers?" Guss asked. "Maybe one of them had a grudge against our late captain."

"He takes jobs from anyone and against everyone. He's good at what he does. Rumor is that he got his armor by strangling a Mandalorian target to death. Since then, he's been upgrading his armor."

"He either killed someone who thought they were Mandalorian or…" Akaavi paused. "Regardless, he'll pay."

"Let's not be rash," Guss raised his hands. "We don't even know where he is."

"He has an apartment in the Red Light Sector on Nar Shaddaa," Rogun smirked. "Whenever he's not on a job, you'll find him there. I'll send you the coordinates. Do whatever you want with it."

"Let's go," Corso stood up.

"Am I the only one opposed to taking on an armed and deadly bounty hunter in his home territory?" Guss complained. "I'll sit out on this one. Unless this means I'm off the crew."

"Coward," was all Akaavi said before leaving.

"Don't worry, Guss," Corso followed after her. "You stay here and make sure Risha doesn't find out where we're going. With both Akaavi and Bowdaar, Rosu won't know what hit him."

For the first time since Colroc's untimely end, Corso felt inspired. He was going to get revenge for his captain and take down a criminal at the same time. Best part is that he wasn't even going to get into trouble with Risha. He was ordered to not look for clues on Coruscant. She said nothing about looking for clues in Nar Shaddaa. He felt that Captain Jericho would be proud of his planning.

* * *

Corso accompanied Colroc to Nar Shaddaa when they were hunting down Nok Drayen's treasure. The planet still sickened him today. It was much like Coruscant. It appeared to be a glamorous city that covered the entire planet but had its own criminal element. While that was more controlled on Coruscant and covered up, Nar Shaddaa embraced its dark side.

After docking at the spaceport on the planet's surface, Corso led Akaavi and Bowdaar to the Red Light Sector. It was here where illegal stims were produced and sold before being introduced to the market properly. Spice dealers traded to addicts on the corner of streets. Overall, the city sickened Corso. His companions were more stoic when they finally approached the apartment complex that matched Rogun's coordinates.

"This is it," Corso looked at the building, arms crossed. "So, uh, how are we going to do this?"

«You do not have a plan?» Bowdaar asked in Shyriiwook.

"I didn't think this far ahead. Rogun didn't exactly give us a room number. How about you, Akaavi?"

"Third floor," Akaavi said. She had her gaze turn upward. "I saw a Cathar through one of the windows."

"You think that's our guy?" Corso looked up. "I can't see him. All of the lights are down."

"He has dark fur, and it's as if he is trying to hide," Akaavi noted, then marched forward. "He saw us. He remembers you. We must act."

"Right!" Corso followed after her. "Bowdaar, watch the door! If he slips past us, you're getting him."

Bowdaar roared in agreement and stood guard by the door. Akaavi and Corso rushed up the stairs towards the third floor. Akaavi pulled out her electrostaff and Corso pulled out Torchy. They ran towards the door that led to Rosu and took cover at its sides. They nodded at each other and Akaavi kicked down the door.

Rosu greeted them with a barrage of blaster fire and forced Akaavi back to cover. The bounty hunter saw their approach and had enough time to prepare for the attack. When the blaster fire stopped, Corso poked out of cover and took several shots with Torchy. He cursed to see that Rosu was quick to get back in his armor once he was discovered. Although he was careful to avoid the shots, those that did struck only stained his armor.

Corso ducked behind cover to reload and Akaavi sprung into action. She charged into the room and disarmed Rosu of both his blaster pistols with a swing of her electrostaff. She went for a jab but the bounty hunter stepped aside and placed both his hands in front of his face. Corso tried to take another shot but wasn't able to without risking Akaavi in his crosshairs.

Akaavi swung with her staff but Rosu was able to grab it by the hilt and step closer. He punched her across the jaw, and with his punch, he threw her weapon aside. Rogun mentioned that Rosu was a boxer before being a bounty hunter and that was starting to show. Akaavi landed a few decent hits but his armor protected him. Rosu attacked her head with a series of jabs. Ultimately, a single punch sent the Zabrak down onto the ground.

With Akaavi out of the way, Corso unleashed as many shots as he could with Torchy. They all connected with Rosu's chest, and although they didn't pierce his armor, they forced him back. The bounty hunter shattered through the window and fell down. At first, Corso was optimistic. The fall was going to hurt, armor or not, and Bowdaar was waiting for him.

Then, Rosu blasted away towards the sky with his rocket boots.

"Oh come on!" Corso kicked the wall. He sighed afterwards and helped Akaavi up from the ground. "You alright?"

"His punches were soft," Akaavi grunted. "He is no Mandalorian."

"I forgot about his rocket boots," Corso hit the back of his head. "How could I forgot about something that important?"

"It does raise another question," Akaavi turned, looking towards a datapad on a nearby table. "Why did he stay and fight when he could have run?"

"Of course!" Corso quickly picked up the data pad. "Come on, come on. Blast! All of the data is wiped."

"And our search comes to an end," Akaavi walked out of the room. "We're leaving. There is nothing more for us here."

Corso looked around the room, desperately looking for something that could serve as a clue. Yet, even in the darkness, he saw that Rosu was quick to get rid of any evidence on his role. He cursed and slowly followed after Akaavi. There was a lot more he had to learn about being a good captain. If only Colroc was around to show him the ropes more.

Next time, Corso was going to beat Rosu. He swore that the next they fought, he would stop him once and for all.

* * *

Rosu landed on a balcony and took a few steps forward. He was caught off-guard and nearly paid for it with his life. If he was a second slower, everything would have fallen apart. He always made sure that he had the upper hand with his targets and tried to never be caught off guard. He wouldn't make that mistake again.

However, Rosu had questions. He recognized the man who shot him out of his own apartment. Leg identified him as Corso Riggs, previously the first mate of the Whirlwind, and now, thanks to the death of Colroc, he was the captain. Someone leaked his location to the new captain. That was something he wouldn't tolerate from anyone.

Rosu took out his holocommunicator and activated it. A few seconds later, Leg answered, scatter gun in hand.

"I need answers, Leg," Rosu demanded. "Corso and his buddies just tried to take a hit out on me."

"W-what?" Leg stammered. "I didn't know."

Rosu saw that he was telling the truth. "I can't go back to my apartment. I'm going to need a new place. Speaking of, I'm still waiting for my award on taking down the Voidhound."

"Uh, about that," Leg rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Well, our employer needs proof of the deed before you get paid."

"I saw him fall to his death. Everyone knows he's dead."

"I know, it's just that, well, SIS was here earlier. I think they're trying to cover up the Voidhound's death. You know, bad for the war morale. So not everyone knows he's dead."

"I don't give a damn about morale," Rosu sighed in defeat. "But fine. I need you to get me back to Coruscant."

"M-me?"

"And I'm going to need more weapons. I'll meet you soon."

"Wait a minute!"

Rosu ended the call with Leg. Despite being a coward, he would come and pick him up or he risks their employer's wrath. Finding proof of the murder threw a wrench in his plans but he was professional. He hadn't missed a mark yet and he wouldn't start now.

* * *

"Guss told you?"

"Guss told me."

Corso sighed. When the Whirlwind returned to Port Nowhere, Risha was waiting for them, and she wasn't happy at all. The only way she could have known about their little venture was if Guss told her. Of course, the Mon Calamari would have told her anything if he felt threaten. And it was very easy to threaten him. Corso made a mental note to bring Guss along on his next adventure, if there was another one coming.

"We need to talk, Corso," Risha turned around and walked off. "Away from the others. You'll get your answers and that'll put a stop to any crazy plans you may have."

"It'll take a lot of convincing to get me not to avenge the Captain," Corso said and followed after her.

Risha made no comment regarding his declaration. A few minutes later, they took the elevator up and were now in the captain's meeting rooms. Risha took a seat at the head of the table and asked Corso to talk about what happened on Nar Shaddaa. Corso paced in front of her while sharing his story. Risha took a moment to think after hearing his story, making sure she was certain of what to say, then nodded.

"At least you can probably keep a secret better than Guss," Risha sighed. "Colroc's alive."

Corso was stunned by the news. "He is? You're not kidding me?"

"I'm not. He was badly injured when he fell onto a hanging metal beam, but otherwise, he's fine. He's currently under SIS protection."

"The Captain was always one lucky man," Corso couldn't help but smile, relieved that his best friend was alive. "Tell SIS we can keep him safe."

"We can't," Risha shook her head. "The attempt on his life was planned."

"And we know that someone is after him. We know what to expect."

"There's more to it than that," Risha hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Corso. "I doubt that Rosu just knew that the Voidhound himself would show up to Coruscant one day. Someone told him and there's only a handful of people who knew."

"Like me," Corso realized. "That's why you didn't tell me."

"You didn't seem like the kind of guy to backstab his best friend for a promotion, but I couldn't be too sure," Risha nodded. "The others, on the other hand, I still can't trust."

"The other captains?"

"They were the only other ones who knew. I'm not sure what they were hoping to gain. Maybe they were hoping to take his spot and lead the privateers but they all voted for me to do that. There's something working against us right now."

"So, what do we do now?" Corso asked.

"We let SIS do their job," Risha answered. "The Captain's safe as long as we keep his survival a secret. Gilliam assured me he had the best security for him. You will let this drop for now. Understood?"

Corso paused, taking a moment to think. "Loud and clear."

"And don't give any idea that you know what I told you either."

"I won't. It'll be hard not to tell the rest of the crew. Except for Guss, of course."

Risha smirked. "You're already thinking like a captain now. Colroc would like to hear that when he gets back. That's all I needed to tell you. You're free to go now."

Corso left the room, and once the door closed, he made sure that there was no one else around. Once he knew he was alone, he cheered loudly. Hearing that Colroc was still alive was the best news he had heard since he first thought that his captain was killed. Soon, everything would be back to normal. Colroc would return to pilot the Whirlwind and Corso would be his first mate, just like old times.

Still, Corso was worried about the traitor within the privateers. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to the plot. If the pirate captain didn't sell out Colroc for his position, then it must have been for wealth. He doubt Rosu was the mastermind either. There definitely was a conspiracy, one that had to be taken care of before the Voidhound could return.

* * *

 **A/N: The name's Archer, and I'm glad to see that I get the chance to write fanfic for the Star Wars: The Old Republic.**

 **I grew up with Star Wars, watching the movies and playing the games. I'm not too big on all of the Legends stuff, but I plan on playing loose with canon anyways. Nothing drastic (at least I think).**

 **The idea for this is a series of stories and arcs. Think of it as SWTOR version of the CGI Clone Wars (both of which I love). Right now, we are in the "Death of the Voidhound" arc. And for the record, this takes place between the events of Act III and Rise of the Hutt Cartel.**

 **Now, I'll admit one thing, and that's I've never written sci-fi before. Oh well. By writing this, I hope to grow better as a writer. If you enjoy what I have in store, feel free to follow the story and leave a review with constructive criticism.**

 **Until next time.**


	2. Episode II

Leg sighed in relief as he finished his slicing. Although not much of a fighter, he knew how to work with computers, including how to hack. From his ship, he was able to secure files from the Coruscant Spaceport, where his cargo ship was currently docked at.

Normally, Leg would never risk targeting a high value target like the planet's largest spaceport. Yet, after reuniting with Rosu on Nar Shaddaa, the bounty hunter gave clear instructions to the pirate. First, he hacked into morgue reports, and after finding out Colroc wasn't at a morgue, he checked the local hospitals. At one such hospital, a file on one patient had been pulled hours after the assassination attempt on the Voidhound, per the instructions of SIS.

Leg gulped at the prospect of Colroc being alive. He heard that the Voidhound was a very dangerous man when it came to revenge and he had plenty of reason to get revenge. Rosu remained calm, and after checking with a contact he had in SIS, that there was an operation to protect Colroc, and that his protection came offworld. Leg sliced his way into the spaceport to figure out an idea on who it could be.

Leg left the bridge of his ship and made his way to the cargo hold, where Rosu was at work. For once, he thought that the bounty hunter looked vulnerable. His armor had been stripped, leaving him only with a white tanktop and black pants. The Cathar was short and lean. He had black fur and yellow eyes with his right ear torn off. He was unarmed except for a bottle of white spray paint, which he used to cover up his old paint job on his armor.

Yet, even in his moment of vulnerability, Leg approached nervously. He heard the rumors of Rosu and knew of his reputation as a boxer and a hand-to-hand combatant. Even with the scatter gun he held, aimed down at the floor, he knew that he stood no chance against his peer. It was better to work with him and hope that their plan would work.

"Rosu, I, uh, have what you wanted," Leg reported.

"Send it to my datapad," Rosu instructed, not even looking over his shoulder while he carefully sprayed his helmet with white paint. "I'll take a look at it."

"I'm on it," Leg gulped, pulling out his own datapad. "So, uh, are you scared at all?"

"Scared?"

"The Voidhound doesn't take kindly to betrayal," Leg sent the files to Rosu. "You know, I once heard stories of what he did to Skavac and Darmas Pollaran after they stabbed him in the back."

"Sounds like your problem then. I just did my job. You're the one who he was close to."

Leg wiped a bead of sweat running down his forehead. He started to grow desperate. "And what about our employer? It's just that, well, we know-"

"Don't worry about it," Rosu shrugged and set his helmet down on a crate with the rest of his armor. "I'm going to kill the Voidhound. He won't kill you out of revenge and our employer won't punish us for our failure."

If only it were that easy, Leg thought. Rosu walked over to sit down on another crate and pulled out his own datapad. Despite failing to kill the Voidhound the first time, he remained calm and professional. He believed that even with the SIS providing security, he would be able to kill Voidhound. If only Leg had the confidence of his bounty hunter ally.

"There's security footage on there," Leg pointed out, rubbing the back of his scalp.

"I'm watching it now," Rosu replied. "How's everything going on your end?"

"Uh, well enough, I believe. Once I get back to Port Nowhere, we will vote in a new captain. I, well, Carac and Lunetta are going to vote him in, and after that, our employer's plan will be successful. Yet, if you don't finish Colroc off, he could change everything!"

"And he's gonna die," Rosu acknowledged, looking at the datapad. "Huh. I think I found his security detail."

"So, uh, how secure is he?"

"If my hunch is correct, pretty secure. One Jedi traveling to the spaceport is nothing new. Two probably means they're on a mission."

"We're dealing with two Jedi?!" Leg gasped in fear.

"We're not."

"Good. You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"There's four Jedi traveling together. That definitely means they want the job done."

"Four?!" Leg started to take deep breaths to calm himself down. "And you are certain that they are Jedi?"

"Brown robes and hoods seem to indicate that. They're Jedi alright."

"I need to get off this planet."

"You'll get off once I finish preparing," Rosu set the datapad down and looked at his painted armor. "I'm thinking that a nice green trim would be good. What do you think?"

"Why are you so calm about Jedi protecting your target?!"

"The Sith Empire has posted a bounty on any confirmed Jedi kills. I'm not seeing four Jedi. I'm seeing four targets."

"You're going to kill four Jedi?" Leg asked in disbelief.

"I am," Rosu nodded. "You brought the weapons I asked for, right?"

"Uh, yes, that I did," Leg opened one of the crates, revealing an arsenal of blasters of all types. "Take whatever you need. I'm, well, I'm very sorry for my outburst."

"No problem," Rosu approached his armor and grabbed another can of spray paint. "I'll only be another hour, then you can get off to Port Nowhere. You won't be anywhere near the Jedi when the fighting starts."

"Really?"

"The moment I step off your ship, you can blast off and never come back," Rosu told him. "I can find my own ride back to Port Nowhere after the job is done. Take a breather on the bridge. I'll tell you when I'm done."

Leg nodded and walked back up to his solidarity life in his ship. At this point, he definitely accepted that he was way over his head now. However, by now, it was too late to change course. He had to stick with the plan and hoped Rosu could pull through with his part. He didn't envy his partner's position, to take down four Jedi, but thankfully, he would be far off-world when the battle happened.

* * *

Colroc was a man who liked a lot of things and hated very few. However, if there was something he hated, it was being out of the loop. After his recovery, he was confined to a high loft apartment in Coruscant and told by Gilliam that he was not allowed to leave. Colroc settled in nicely at first, enjoying the bar and lounge that the SIS sought to provide him with. Overall, witness protection was a very good service to be with.

Then, the SIS agents were swapped out with Jedi Knights. That raised some questions. Colroc thought that he was dealing with some criminal rival or someone out for revenge. Yet, if the Jedi were getting involved in his protection, that certainly meant something was going on. He tried to question Gilliam and the Jedi Knights on how much danger he was in. The Jedi remained silent and on guard while Gilliam only told him the less he knew, the safer he was.

Colroc felt a lot less safer now. He wanted to get in touch with his crew, let them know he was alright, and ask them to drop by to help protect him better. However, SIS removed any communications units in the safehouse he was in. They wouldn't even give him a blaster to defend himself with. At one point, Colroc tried to sneak away and find a way to get in touch with his crew. Gavai Aukruram, a Rattataki Jedi, always managed to find a way to stop him.

Out of the Jedi guards, Colroc felt closest to Gavai (which wasn't saying much). Knight Aukruram was a large and bulky Jedi with pale gray skin and black markings across his face. He was assigned to be the Voidhound's personal bodyguard and remained by his side. Out of his guards, he was the more vocal and friendly. Occasionally, he and the smuggler would trade jokes and play Pazaak together. Yet, just like the others, he remained silent when questioned on his duty.

He had been receiving less luck with the other Jedi. Xekudo Sotos was a Zabrak Jedi in charge of guarding the front door. Colroc never spoke with Knight Sotos, who always remained outside of the safehouse. Then, there was Finueth Wuvceo, a Miraluka in charge of guarding the balcony. At one point, Colroc interrupted her meditation to try to flirt with her. She removed the brown band that covered her eyes and he quickly lost interest. Finally, there was Stedar Binhel, a human like Colroc who spent his time patrolling the apartment. Colroc found him to be a dull man, but at least he spent time handling package deliveries as well.

It was around the afternoon and Colroc was now working on a drink behind the bar. Gavai rested on a couch, hood down to reveal his features. Stedar was patrolling the longue and Finueth meditated outside, watching for any threats. Overall, it had been a quiet day, just like the previous days. At this point, the smuggler was certain that whoever was after him was no longer a threat.

"And finished," Colroc declared, putting a little umbrella in his drink. "You want a drink, Gavai?"

"I'll pass again," Gavai shook his head. "What're you making?"

"Just one of my own special drinks, of course!"

"And that is why I pass," Gavai chuckled.

"It isn't that bad," Colroc defended and chugged down the drink in one gulp. "Hey, Binhel. We need more drinks."

"Agent Keasten will handle that."

"And how about lunch?"

"We did run out of food last night," Gavai pointed out. "You could make a supply run."

"I suppose," Stedar sighed. "I shall return in about an hour or so."

Colroc watched as Stedar left, heading towards the front door to check out with Xekudo. The glass door leading to the balcony was closed, leaving him alone with Gavai. The smuggler set his drink down and walked over to take a seat next to the Jedi. He was the knight he was closest with, and out of them, the more likely to reveal his situation.

"Now that it's just the two of us, you can tell me what's going on with the investigation," Colroc started.

"You know I can't do that, Captain Jericho," Gavai leaned back on the couch.

"First, no need to be that formal, just Captain or Colroc will do. Secondly, you have to tell me or else the suspense will kill me, and you can't let me die like that, can you!"

"You tried that excuse the first day we met," Gavai smirked.

"I did?"

"You did."

"Alright. At least tell me about my crew."

Gavai hesitated, then leaned forward. "Your crew?"

"If I'm in danger, are they in danger?" Colroc asked.

"No, they shouldn't be," Gavai paused, then shrugged. "Agent Keasten has kept me up to date on what's happening with the privateers. Your crew is fine from what I have heard. The captains are meeting today to discuss who to bring in as a leader and Corso now serves as the captain of your old crew and ship."

"That's a relief to hear," Colroc sighed. "Glad to hear that at the very least. I guess whoever's targeting me doesn't care about them."

"Whoever it does seem to have a plan in mind," Gavai nodded in agreement. "They only want you dead."

"You sure do know how to lighten the mood," Colroc chuckled. "What's your story?"

"My story?" Gavai looked confused at the smuggler.

"Your story. I mean, no offense or anything, but you're the first Rattataki Jedi I've seen, and they never seemed to be the Jedi type. How'd you end up with them."

"That's a long story. I don't remember much of my youth, only that I was enslaved by the Hutt Cartel. I never found out why but a SIS operation rescued me and brought me to be trained as a Jedi. I never questioned who I ended up being since then."

"I never really liked doing business with those slugs anyways. Enough about depressing origin stories. Want to play another round of pazaak?"

Gavai smiled warmly. "That would be fun, yes."

"Let's play then."

* * *

Rosu never had a problem with changing the colors of his armor. He styled it after what he thought would get the job done fast. Unlike other bounty hunters, who preferred having their own style, he was more flexible. And with his job today, he thought it would be best to disguise himself as a soldier of the Republic. The new paint job made his travel around Coruscant much less of a hindrance. He no longer had to rely on sticking to the shadows. As long as he looked official, no one would question him.

Rosu checked in with his contact with the SIS to get more details on the operation to protect the Voidhound. His contact wasn't able to get much, only a personal list of the SIS agent in charge and the Jedi guarding Colroc. Only names and pictures were provided with no idea where they were at. Moving on, Rosu took on the mannerisms of the soldier he portrayed and asked the citizens of the planet if they have seen any of the Jedi. Finally, he learned that one of the Jedi, Stedar Binhel, has been seen piloting a speeder bike on multiple occasions.

Now, Rosu waited by the speeder depot Stedar frequently checked in at. The Jedi would never realize what he had planned before it was too late. Stedar arrived at the depot, and after checking in with a protocol droid, left to continue his business. When the Jedi was out of sight, the bounty hunter approached his speeder and stealthily tracked a device underneath it.

Afterwards, Rosu left the depot by activating his rocket boots. He blasted away from the scene and landed on a rooftop not too far away. On the rooftop was a smaller lockbox with his weapons waiting for him. The bounty hunter tossed his rifle aside and took up two blaster pistols, a sniper rifle, their respective ammo, and thermal detonators. He pulled out his datapad, which now displayed a map of Coruscant with a red blinking dot moving across it.

The Voidhound would be within his grasp soon enough.

* * *

After finishing up his reports in the evening, Gilliam took his speeder towards the apartment he had Colroc stored away. Protecting the Voidhound and finding out who was targeting him wasn't his first job, but it was definitely turning out to be his most dangerous. With what he had found out, he knew that it was possible his days were numbered. Normally, securing Jedi as guards was next to impossible, but with what he had discovered so far, the Jedi Council deployed four Jedi to see his witness safe.

The SIS had also been willing to lend a safehouse in the form of a high-loft apartment. Since the original attack occurred in the lower levels of Coruscant, his superiors reasoned that it would be best to hide Colroc higher in the city. Gilliam thought it made them stand out too much but it was all they were willing to offer for a high value target. The agent took what he could get.

Gilliam docked his speeder next to four speeder bikes that belonged to the Jedi in the garage of the safehouse. Xekudo stood guard over the door with a handprint scanner over it. Gilliam took his glove off, scanned his hand, and went inside. In the longue, he saw Gavai and Stedar around a table, having finished their meals. The agent looked in shock to see Colroc outside on the balcony with Finueth.

"What's he doing outside?" Gilliam questioned. "Doesn't he know that his life could be in danger?"

"He's trying to put the moves on Finueth," Stedar answered. "Said that he could get past her having no eyes."

Gilliam sighed and Gavai chuckled. "Don't worry, Agent Keasten. Finueth is always on guard, much like Xekudo. If any harm were to come upon Jericho, she would stop it before he was killed."

"I wish I could have the same confidence as you do, Master Jedi. I've narrowed down more names on who wants him dead and it isn't good."

"He's been asking questions again," Gavai informed him. "I don't like staying silent, Agent Keasten. When can we tell him?"

"We tell him once I am positive of who is behind the attacks. Until then, I can't risk it. You didn't tell him anything, right?"

Gavai paused, then shook his head. "I told him about his crew."

"Do they even know he's alive?" Stedar asked.

"I only told Risha. She believes one of the pirate captains she's with is behind it."

"But they're not," Gavai noted.

"One may be involved, leaking Jericho's position for power, but a pirate certainly isn't the mastermind," Gilliam confirmed.

Suddenly, Finueth engaged her green lightsaber and deflected a blaster bolt. Colroc rushed inside. "Sniper!"

Gilliam cursed silently. Stedar and Gavai stood up, pulling out their lightsabers but not yet engaging them. Finueth deflected two more blaster bolts before rushing in after Colroc, closing the balcony doors with the Force. A blaster bolt struck the door, but thankfully, the glass was resistant to blasterfire. Courtesy of an SIS safehouse, of course. Gilliam pulled out his communicator, tapping it online.

"Agent Keasten, calling for reinforcements at-" Gilliam paused. "I'm not getting through."

"You're not getting through because this is the same bounty hunter that tried to take me out before!" Colroc snapped. "Who're we dealing with?!"

"According to my files, a Cathar by the name of Rosu Phorgi," Gilliam looked up to the rooftops, trying to find the sniper. "Not 're leaving."

"Where to?" Colroc asked.

"SIS Headquarters. He won't be able to get you there. Master Jedi, you'll escort us there."

"Understood, Agent Keasten," Gavai nodded and Finueth retracted her lightsaber. "We're leaving!"

The Jedi formed a protective formation around Gilliam and Colroc: Stedar leading the way with Gavai and Finueth covering their flanks. They proceeded out to the garage, where they were joined by Xekudo. The four Jedi mounted on their speeder bikes while Colroc and Gilliam got into the speeder the agent drove. There was a brief dispute on who would drive.

"If you're not giving me a blaster, let me get behind the wheel," Colroc demanded. "I'm still the best pilot this side of Coruscant."

"And I memorized eight different paths to get to the SIS Headquarters," Gilliam shot back and got in the driver's seat. "You're riding shotgun. Without a blaster."

Colroc sighed but fell in line, taking his seat in the speeder. Finueth and Stedar blasted away first with Agent Gilliam following after them. Gavai and Xekudo followed afterwards.

* * *

When the Jedi were out of sight with his target and the SIS agent, Rosu threw his sniper rifle off the roof. It was an easy way to destroy any evidence he left. He proceeded to pull out his datapad and looked at the same map from before. The red dot was on the move, proceeding into speeder traffic. Before taking off, the bounty hunter scouted out the different escape routes and knew of the different ways to intercept his target.

This time, Rosu was going to put a blaster bolt between Colroc's eyes to make sure he was dead for good. But first, he would show them that no matter what, they could never run from him. A little fear may put the Jedi off their guard and allow him easier access to his target.

Rosu pressed a red button on his datapad before free falling from the tower he was positioned on.

* * *

Colroc gasped when Stedar's speeder exploded. He heard Stedar scream out in agony and flew back. The Jedi and pieces of his speeder slammed against Gilliam's speeder before they all fell down towards Coruscant's surface. Gilliam lost control of the vehicle briefly but was able to get back on track. Finueth positioned her speeder directly in front of Gilliam's while Xekudo and Gavai held position.

"Do we have eyes on the bounty hunter?!" Gilliam spoke into a commpiece, panicking.

"One, the Jedi can't hear you since we're being jammed," Colroc pointed out. "Two, I didn't see a blaster bolt!"

"If he was close enough to get to Stedar's speeder, then who knows what else he could have done," Gilliam gulped. "We're compromised. We won't make it to headquarters."

"Give me a blaster already! We're sitting ducks right now!"

"A stray blaster shot might strike a passerby," Gilliam shook his head. "You're going unarmed for now."

"Oh come on!"

Before Gilliam could offer a counter argument, they both gasped in surprise when Rosu landed on the hood of his speeder, shattering the glass window. Gilliam tried to pull out a blaster pistol to fight him off, but Rosu's first blaster bolt struck his shoulder. His gasp turned into a scream when the second bolt struck him in the gut. He slumped over and the bounty hunter turned his blaster towards Colroc.

The smuggler leaned to the side, crashing into Gilliam to avoid the blaster bolt. He quickly grabbed the wheel of the speeder and made a hard right turn. Rosu was flung off the speeder and crashed through a glass window. Colroc sat back up, close to Gilliam, and turned away. Finueth stayed by him while Gavai and Xekudo flew after Rosu.

Colroc sighed in relief to hear Gilliam groan in pain.

"I'm driving," Colroc commanded. "Scoot over here. SIS should have a medical droid for you."

"Don't," Gilliam muttered, working on handing Colroc control. "The only way Rosu could find out about you is if SIS was compromised, even by a bounty hunter contact."

"You're bleeding out, and frankly, we shouldn't risk civilians. We'll stop, then figure out our next plan from there."

Colroc started to pillot the speeder towards the lower levels of Coruscant. He was worried for Gilliam, and even for himself. However, he thought that Rosu was no match for two Jedi, especially after that crash. Maybe he would survive to meet with his crew.

* * *

Rosu growled and stood up amongst shattered glass. Thankfully, his armor protected him from any cuts, although he was certain that he was definitely going to have some bruises from the crash itself. He was starting to hate Coruscant. He never had to worry about crashing into any buildings back on Nar Shaddaa. Nor did he have to worry about the Jedi.

Speaking of, two of the Jedi broke off from the escort to engage him. Rosu smirked under his helmet. He was already good to claim one Jedi bounty, but now, two more were coming straight for him. It was going to be a good payday for him. He quickly ran through his suit and his weapons. The rocket boots were still functional and he had a dead man switch for his thermal detonators on the side of his left index finger. He dropped one blaster pistol in freefall but had the other holstered on his belt, loaded and ready for action.

The two Jedi flew their speeders into the building and hopped off. Rosu identified the two as Gavai and Xekudo. The Zabrak pulled out his lightsaber and ignited the blue blade while the Rattakai took a step forward.

"Rosu Phorgi, you are under arrest for conspiracy against the Galactic Republic and the murder of Stedar Binhel!" Gavai announced. "Stand down now."

"Has that line ever worked?" Rosu smirked. "I'm already one to one on Jedi kills, and frankly, I'm feeling lucky today."

"You just ran out of luck," Gavai shot back and ignited his blue blade. "Surrender your blaster and any other weapons or we will use force to detain you."

"Use force, or the Force?" Rosu chuckled. "I'm sorry. You set me up for that."

Gavai advanced on Rosu wearily while Xekudo stood behind him, ensuring that he didn't try to fly away on his rocket boots. While it would have been a difficult fight, the bounty hunter was confident he could hold them off. Killing them was another matter though. However, with the Voidhound getting further and further, he didn't have time for a difficult fight. The Jedi were a bonus objective, something he could live without.

Then again, he could down one without a fight.

"I'll stand down," Rosu announced, reaching for his belt. "I'll slide this over to you."

"No tricks."

"I am giving you all of my weapons."

Gavai stood still, watching Rosu closely. The bounty hunter unclipped his belt, which dropped down onto the ground. He was careful to keep the thermal explosives behind his feet and slid it over to the Jedi. However, he let out a gasp as he overshot the slide, with his belt landing by Xekudo and the speeders. Both Jedi quickly showed shock expressions and sensed the danger they were in.

The blast radius caught Xekudo and the speeders immediately. The Zabrak was blasted against the wall and collapsed silently, unmoving. Gavai was quick enough to leap out of the blast and Rosu turned to face him, his horror faded away and he prepared for action.

"You'll pay for that!"

"And the Empire will pay handsomely for two Jedi kills," Rosu shot back. "Two for two."

Rosu activated his rocket boots and blasted out of the hole he first made, quickly leaving Gavai behind. He may have been able to kill Xekudo but he lost the element of surprise. Even against one Jedi, he would rather not risk losing to an armed Jedi. At least Gavai was out of the fray, leaving the Voidhound with one Jedi left.

His lockbox had more weapons and gear. Yet, even while he was unarmed, he felt alive. Although Rosu took up the way of a bounty hunter, his true passion wasn't with blasters or explosives. Hand-to-hand brought him back to the good old days back in the ring.

Rosu settled on beating the Voidhound with his fists. That way, he would know his target was dead.

* * *

Eyes immediately fell on Colroc after he landed his speeder on a public platform, and carried the injured Gilliam on his shoulder. The citizens of the lower levels didn't try to stop him though, and after he fell out of sight, returned to their own business. Colroc knew his way around the lower levels. This was his kind of environment and he recalled a small (and unlicensed) medical outpost. He found the door on the side of a building, and knocked on it. For the right amount of credits, the black market doctors would patch Gilliam up.

It was too bad that Colroc didn't have any credits on it.

When a human man in a lab coat answered the door, Colroc pointed Gilliam's blaster at him. "SIS! Hands up!"

The doctor raised his hands. "I didn't do anything!"

"I don't care!" Colroc forced his way into the building with Gilliam. "You're going to patch my friend up now."

Colroc hated using brute force as a method, but there was no denying that it was effective in a time of crisis. The doctor led Colroc to a backroom, with a medical droid on standby. Colroc set Gilliam down on a table and let the doctor and droid get to work on patching him up. The Voidhound kept watch. Gilliam was fighting against falling unconscious while being treated with stimpacks and coolant spray. Colroc was hopeful that the agent was going to pull through.

When the door opened again, Colroc turned his blaster towards the guest, only to sigh in relief at recognizing Finueth.

"I am sorry for being late," Finueth bowed her head. "You did speed off without telling me where you were going."

"Gilliam needed treatment," Colroc motioned towards the agent. "He took two blaster shots."

"You made the right call," Finueth nodded. "Rosu is more dangerous than we could have anticipated. Already, he has killed two of the four Jedi to guard you."

"He killed another?!"

"Sadly, yes. Just before I found you, Gavai called in to tell me Xekudo was killed. Gavai himself is stran-"

"He called you?" Colroc asked, and received a nod. "We must be out of his jammer's range. It's time to call for backup."

"We're compromised," Gilliam groaned with the medical personnel finished with their treatment. He slowly sits back up. "There's no one we can trust to come for us in time."

"My crew can get here, but I need to be the one to call them," Colroc grinned. "They're good people. Let me call them, and they can make it."

Gilliam closed his eyes, thinking it over. Colroc crossed his arms while waiting for an answer from the SIS agent. Given the danger they were in, there was no denying that they needed help. If Gilliam insisted on remaining paranoid, then Colroc would take charge. He knew that his crew would never betray him. He worked hard to earn their loyalty and trust. They would come to him if he told them.

Finally, Gilliam sighed, opened his eyes, and pulled out his holocommunicator to hand to Colroc. The Voidhound grinned and accepted it. Gilliam relaxed back down on the table for rest, leaving his allies to their own devices. Colroc used the holocommunicator to contact Corso. If his first mate was now in charge of the Whirlwind, then he would be best to rally the crew to the rescue. Thankfully, Corso picked up the call, and his frown turned to shock.

"Captain?!" Corso gasped.

"I'm still up and kicking, Corso," Colroc assured his friend.

"I knew that. I just thought this was Agent Keasten."

"Well, good thing for us that it's me. The Agent and I are in a lot of trouble. That bounty hunter from before is after us, and he killed two Jedi."

"I'll get the others, and we can take the fight to him," Corso said, determined.

"Negative, Corso," Colroc shook his head. "We need evac on Coruscant. Fly the Whirlwind to the usual hanger, and we'll be there."

"Roger that, Captain," Corso smiled. "The crew will be excited to-"

Corso's image flickered out.

"We're being jammed again," Finueth noted.

"Rosu is nearby," Colroc said with a frown. "He's going to find us. We need to move."

"About that," the doctor spoke up, and everyone turned to him. "Your agent friend is badly wounded. I patched him up to the best of my ability, but he needs a hospital."

"Does your ship have medical facilities?" Gilliam asked Colroc.

"We have Guss," Colroc sighed. "I can't stay here, but I can't leave you either."

Gilliam breathed in, closed his eyes, and exhaled. "I have a plan. Listen closely…"

* * *

Rosu's prey was near. He recognized the speeder Agent Keasten and Captain Jericho used at its platform, and there was nowhere else left for them to run. Colroc had tarnished his perfect reputation as a bounty hunter. He needed to patch that up with one last kill, and he could return to his normal business. The extra credits from the Jedi kills were useful, but he would be happy to return to doing jobs away from the war.

All eyes were on Rosu. The lower levels of Coruscant were filled with criminal underlings, waiting for a chance to earn an extra credit through any means necessary. Rosu understood their plight. For a long time, he didn't have any hopes outside of the boxing ring. When opportunity presented itself, he took it, and the next thing he knew, Rosu was on his way to becoming one of the galaxy's great bounty hunters. He wouldn't have changed how he came here at all.

Finueth stood several feet away from him, with no robe over her Jedi garb. She clutched her lightsaber but did not activate it.

"Rosu Phorgi, you are under arrest for conspiracy against the Galactic Republic and the murder of Stedar Binhel and Xekudo Sotos!" Finueth declared. "Surrender!"

"The last time someone said that, I killed a Jedi," Rosu shrugged. "Where's Colroc Jericho?"

"Far away from here," Finueth told him. "Your hunt is over."

"No, I don't think he's gotten away so quickly," Rosu reached to his back pocket. "There's more landing platforms not too far from here. You landed at one of them, gave the captain your robes as a disguise, and are stalling me."

Rosu wished he still had a blaster with him to take down one more Jedi, but he would make do with what he did have. He threw several credit chips on the ground between him and Finueth, and the underworld scum scrambled. Soon enough, a fight started over the money on the ground. Rosu blasted off with his rocket boots, and threw more credits on the ground behind Finueth to attract more attention. The Jedi was stuck in a street brawl, unable to escape as the bounty hunter blasted off.

Colroc Jericho no longer had any Jedi Knights to hide behind.

Navigating to the next landing platform was quick and easy work for Rosu. And sure enough, he saw a robed man heading towards an open speeder. Finally, the hunt was coming to an end. Rosu landed down on the bridge connecting the platform to the streets, and cracked his knuckles. He couldn't make out Colroc's face with the cowl covering his head, but it was him.

"End of the line, Captain!" Rosu growled.

In response, Colroc pulled out a blaster and pulled the trigger.

The first blaster shot struck Rosu in the shoulder, but his armor held against the attack. Rosu dodged the next attack as he rolled up to his target. He kicked the blaster up into the air, and assumed his boxing stance. The bounty hunter blocked the first punch, then delivered a quick series of jabs to his chest. Surprisingly enough, his target collapsed from the attack. Rosu expected more from a famed target such as the Voidhound.

Rosu caught the blaster as it fell back down and aimed it at his defeated foe. "There's no faking your death this time, Colroc."

Rosu pulled the brown Jedi robe off. Agent Gilliam Keasten grinned in pain. "You're right about that."

"Where is Colroc?!" Rosu demanded.

"Far away from here," Gilliam chuckled.

"I want answers!" Rosu roared.

Gilliam looked up at the sky, and smiled in relief. Rosu followed his gaze to see the Whirlwind flying through Coruscant's atmosphere, descending towards the direction of the Coruscant Starport. The bounty hunter recognized the ship's design from his briefing and knew of its significance to the privateers. Rosu's grip on the stolen blaster tightened. Even if he used the speeder behind him, Colroc had a head start on him. The Voidhound was going to make it to the ship and leave the planet before he could catch up.

Rosu had been outwitted again.

"I imagine your employer won't be pleased to hear you've failed," Gilliam taunted. "They should have hired someone better, right?"

Rosu shot Gilliam twice in the chest and walked away from the corpse.

* * *

There was a short celebration after the Whirlwind picked up Colroc and Finueth to escape Coruscant. Corso returned command of the Whirlwind to its true captain and pilot, and Colroc served drinks for earlier. It went unsaid to his crew, but the Voidhound was drinking to honor the memory of Agent Keasten. Against Colroc and Finueth's protests, he willingly offered to sacrifice his life to give them a chance to escape. Although they had their disagreements, Gilliam was loyal to the end. If he was alive now, Colroc would have offered him a spot on their crew.

The celebration was cut short with a priority call from Rogun.

"You want to answer that, Captain?" Corso asked.

Colroc relaxed in his lounge seat, and shook his head. "No need to scare Rogun now by me answering his call. You let him know."

Corsos nodded and activated the holocommunicator with Colroc watching. Rogun's image flickers on board the ship. "Captain Riggs, we have a problem."

"Actually, I'm the first mate again," Corso corrected. "Captain Jericho is back."

"He's alive?" Rogun asked in shock. "Then maybe he can help take care of the captain we just voted in to take his spot as one of the leaders."

Colroc stood up from his seat and steps into view. "What's wrong with the new guy?"

"At first, it was nothing," Rogun explained. "He was a pirate. There were a few recent years that he didn't have a solid alibi for, but Leg vouched for him. He claimed he was an acquaintance of Trizz'mal before he died. He was voted in just an hour ago."

"And what happened since then?" Colroc asked.

"He just gave an Imperial transport ship clearance to land."

* * *

Leg stood nervously next to the newly appointed privateer leader in a docking bay, holding onto his scatter gun. All of his work led up to this moment, and he couldn't be more nervous. It didn't help that Rosu hasn't called in to report his status, but there was no going back now. He made his choice and he was going through with it until the end.

Leg looked towards his side. "So, uh, did I do a good job, Captain Revel?"

Andronikos Revel turned his tattooed face to look at Leg, then nodded. "Yeah. You did alright. You'll get paid your share."

Leg sighed in relief. The docking bay doors opened to reveal two dozen Imperial troopers in their red-and-black armor. Leading them was a Sith, wearing impressive dark robes with a curved lightsaber clipped to his belt. The most noticeable feature was his steel mask, which was mostly gray, but silver around the eyes and mouth.

* * *

 **A/N: For those of you who are wondering, yes, that is the Sith Inquisitor from SWTOR. We'll learn more about him in the upcoming chapter.**

 **I'm back, and I'm focusing my attention solely on this for the time being. I am hoping to finish this over a short period of time. For now, enjoy, and leave a review if you want to.**

 **Until next time.**


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